Testing in sodium and qualification of the bearings used in inclined fuel transfer machine of prototype fast breeder reactor

Q4 Energy

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology Pub Date : 2018-06-26 DOI:10.1504/IJNEST.2018.10013859

S. Krovvidi, R. Punniyamoorthy, B. Sreedhar, S. Chandramouli, G. Padmakumar, S. Raghupathy, P. Selvaraj

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Track roller type double row deep groove ball bearings made of SS-440C material are used in inclined fuel transfer machine (IFTM) of PFBR. The bearings are unlubricated, need to operate under sodium and subsequently in cover gas at 50°C. The number of rotations of the bearings during 40 years of the reactor operation is 1.15 million. This paper presents the experiment carried out to examine the performance of the bearings used in IFTM under simulated conditions as in reactor. The bearing was initially tested in air, argon and in sodium at 200°C. It is observed that the frictional torque value of the sodium wetted bearing in cover gas at 50°C is increasing due to solidified sodium sticking on the bearing. Wear in the bearing is significant after 1,065,000 rotations. This paper presents the scheme of testing of the bearing, details of the test facility, test results and discussion. The frequency of replacement of the bearings in IFTM of PFBR is established based on the experiment. This experiment gave better insight to use bearings for under sodium applications.

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快速增殖反应堆原型倾斜燃料输送机用轴承的钠测试和鉴定

PFBR倾斜输油机（IFTM）采用了SS-440C材料制成的滚道式双列深沟球轴承。轴承未经润滑，需要在钠下运行，随后在50°C的覆盖气体中运行。反应堆运行40年期间，轴承的转数为115万。本文介绍了在反应堆模拟条件下测试IFTM中使用的轴承性能的实验。轴承最初在200°C的空气、氩气和钠中进行测试。观察到，由于凝固的钠粘附在轴承上，钠湿轴承在50°C的覆盖气体中的摩擦扭矩值正在增加。旋转1065000圈后，轴承磨损严重。本文介绍了轴承的试验方案、试验装置的详细情况、试验结果和讨论。在实验的基础上，确定了PFBR IFTM中轴承的更换频率。这项实验为在低钠应用中使用轴承提供了更好的见解。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology Energy-Nuclear Energy and Engineering

CiteScore

0.80

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Today, nuclear reactors generate nearly one quarter of the electricity in nations representing two thirds of humanity, and other nuclear applications are integral to many aspects of the world economy. Nuclear fission remains an important option for meeting energy requirements and maintaining a balanced worldwide energy policy; with major countries expanding nuclear energy"s role and new countries poised to introduce it, the key issue is not whether the use of nuclear technology will grow worldwide, even if public opinion concerning safety, the economics of nuclear power, and waste disposal issues adversely affect the general acceptance of nuclear power, but whether it will grow fast enough to make a decisive contribution to the global imperative of sustainable development.